Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton is expected to select Lt. Gov. Tina Smith to fill Democratic Sen. Al Franken’s seat on an interim basis. The Democratic governor said he is not ready to announce his pick for the seat but will make the decision in the next few days. If Smith is picked she is not expected to run for the seat in a November 2018 special election. Dayton picked Smith as his running-mate for his second term after she served as his chief of staff during his first term. She previously decided against a gubernatorial run to replace him.
